Entering the studio in 1981 with noted producer Bill Szymcyzk, the end result continues to befuddle to this day as The Who’s internal disarray became all too apparent in their music.
Written by: Dangerzone
ARTIST: The Who
ALBUM: Face Dances
LABEL: Polydor
SERIAL: WHOD 5037
YEAR: 1981
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: England
LINEUP: Roger Daltrey – vocals * Pete Townshend – guitar * John Entwistle – bass * Kenney Jones – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 You Better You Bet * 02 Don’t Let Go the Coat * 03 Cache Cache * 04 Did You Steal My Money * The Quiet One * 05 How Can You Do It Alone * 06 Daily Records * 07 You * 08 Another Tricky Day
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
When Keith Moon died in 1978 there was a large percentage of Who supporters who felt the band should call it a day. Given the unique chemistry of the band with Moon behind the kit it seemed unfathomable anyone could take his place.
But the band forged ahead and hired ex Faces drummer Kenney Jones, seemingly the total antithesis of Moon in terms of playing and personality. Why they didn’t grab someone like Ian Paice or Carl Palmer is another question.
At first the new lineup seemed competent enough on the belated tour in support of ‘Who Are You’ in 1979, but it didn’t take long for the rot to start sinking in.
The tour of course saw the tragic death of 11 fans crushed in Cincinnati which added more strain to an increasingly wasted looking Townshend, who looked more 44 than 34.
Daltrey was reportedly unhappy with Jones’ drumming (perhaps unfairly) and Entwistle was dismayed with the addition of a horn section and full time keyboardist on the road. The live shows were still mostly above average however, but new product was needed considering ‘Who Are You’ was two years old.
Entering the studio in 1981 with noted producer Bill Szymcyzk, the end result continues to befuddle to this day as The Who’s internal disarray became all too apparent in their music.
The Songs
A year prior to the release of ‘Face Dances’ Townshend had recorded the successful ‘Empty Glass’ which most agreed could have been a classic Who album.
For the Who however Townshend seemed to be running dry of inspiration and the majority of his compositions here contain garbled, nonsensical lyrics, with music often lacking the power expected of The Who.
It appears Townshend was overly influenced by the musical styling of artists like Elvis Costello, The Police and even Billy Joel on ‘Glass Houses’.
His jangly guitar tone differed from anything in the past and it’s heard in the opening bars of ‘You Better You Bet’. Obviously this remains the most well known track off the album and it’s a solid offering, melodically aware and contemporary for a band like The Who, which was surprising.
The power is scaled down of course and reinforced bluntly by ‘Don’t Let Go The Coat’. This is pure pop, leaning towards AOR with Daltrey more restrained vocally than he ever had been. It’s hard to dislike it because the melody works, but it can also be seen as weak for a band with The Who’s power.
Townshend’s penchant for offbeat lyrics dominates ‘Cache Cache’, as he relates his experiences in a ‘bear pit’ while masquerading as a homeless bum in Austria. Musically it’s another jangly piece of simple rock with some unnecessary swirly keyboards.
Attempting to keep the hard rock tones of the past alive was Entwistle, who’s first track ‘The Quiet One’ is totally at odds with Townshend’s posturing, offering some welcome rawness. Somehow the track never took off as an Entwistle standard, the track initially meant to replace the staggeringly stale ‘Boris The Spider’ and ‘My Wife’ as concert standards.
Keeping up the stylistic confusion is ‘Did You Steal My Money’, another light Towsnhend offering, with a persistent chorus and more unintelligible lyrics including the line ‘I thought I heard a female footfall, while I washed my kitchen’.
Offering quite a surprise was ‘How Can You Do It Alone’, a track that had been previewed on the tours prior to the recording of ‘Face Dances’. Live it had been a heavy, extended jam, which showed how heavy The Who still could be. Hopes must have been high for this track on vinyl, but nobody could have expected the final offering, a jaunty, bouncy track, laden with synthesizers and barely any guitar. I used to ask myself if this was The Who years back. Daltrey sounds uninspired and it’s hard to blame him. The melody is acceptable, but more than anything it’s good for a laugh as Townshend recounts yet more tales of playing with himself.
‘Daily Records’ is somewhat heavier and a good rocker by Towsnhend’s standards on this album. As always his lyrics retain a sense of misery and aging, the man a whopping 35 years old at the time of this albums release.
Entwistle serves up another onslaught with the frantic ‘You’, which lacks any keyboard use and shows the difference in mindset between ‘The Ox’ and Townshend. Jones has to be admired for his drumming, which is in the Moon tradition, merging well with Entwistle’s ubiquitous bass work. Even Townshend has a go for once, unloading some brutal guitar lines near the climax.
Saving his best for last, Townshend delivers with ‘Another Tricky Day’, one of the best tracks he wrote in the 80’s. It has that identifiable blend of melody and power chords that defined The Who and is a classic in my books. For once his lyrics hit the spot, most memorably Daltrey’s positive final lines of ‘you’ll get through’.
In Summary
The album was a success upon release unsurprisingly, but of course it divided Who fans who couldn’t identify with the new lineup. Regardless this is a hard album to dislike. As easy as it would be to dismiss it as throwaway, the melodies don’t lie, even if there isn’t always the power in the music to back it up.
Then again The Who were never that type of band in the studio in my opinion, it always came out live more than it did on disc. If people were to criticize the band for their lighter fare then I suppose they must have hated the likes of ‘Blue, Red And Grey’ and ‘Love Is Coming Down’ in the 70’s.
The band was a shocking mess on the face of it in 1981, but even at their worst The Who still remained compelling. Not many bands can say that.
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